Sunday Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40.1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3.8-14; Mark 1.1-8 “One more powerful than I will come after me.” Mark 1.7 Like the prophet Elijah, John the Baptist haunt the wilderness. Like Elijah, who discovered God speaking not in storms and lightning but in silence, the Baptist in the silence of his wilderness lifeContinue reading “Gospel Reflection for December 7, 2014, 2nd Sunday of Advent”

“I have prepared my banquet…everything is ready. Come to the feast.” Matthew 22.4 Christians today don’t catch on readily to Matthew’s allegory. For first-century Jews, both Christian Jews and rabbinic Jews, the Jewish-Roman war that destroyed the temple was a watershed event. Until then, rabbinic Jews who studied the Torah in synagogues and Christian JewsContinue reading “Gospel Reflection for October 12, 2014, 28th Sunday Ordinary Time”

“The kingdom of God…will be given to people that produce its fruits.” Matthew 21.43 We humans are like all tenants of Earth and like those in Sunday’s parable. Our basest instincts are to draw everything to ourselves, the “owner” be damned. God has given us a precious vineyard/planet/home, teeming with life and extraordinary resources, butContinue reading “Gospel Reflection for October 5, 2014, 27th Sunday Ordinary Time”